The ways and means of producing and directing films have changed over the years starting with the initial “moving pictures” in the 19th century to the adoption of digital media in the present day. The method and approach being used today vary radically from the strategy employed in the Golden age of American cinema. With various digital and online streaming platforms coming in, it sometimes becomes harder for studios not only to make profits but even to achieve break-even.
Does this mean that the era of film production as we know it, through studios is on the decline?
Well, it might not be so. What has changed are the numbers. Earlier a studio that would make ten movies a year will now narrow it down to five, investing and focusing more on the quality rather than the quantity.
Once a blockbuster is created its shelf life increases dramatically, and the studio can recover cost overheads and also make profits thereby making its business model more viable and sustainable. What makes this approach even more lucrative is that the studio can then bank upon merchandising, spin-off television series, sequels which opens up new avenues for doing business.
There are also instances when the studios have been blamed for meddling too much with a well -directed film and then making the result in less than satisfactory for its viewers. There is a degree of truth to this, but some studios, on the contrary, have breathed new life into films by intervening at the right moments. Hence the topic of interference is highly debatable with both sides having their arguments. The primary objective, however, is to give viewers the best cinematic experience.
STX studios founded in 2014 as an entertainment studio and start-up has a visionary plan of action where it wants to be the link between the U.S. and Chinese Entertainment market. It follows the approach of having star-centric, mid-budget films where the appeal of the star gets the audience to the theatre, and the storyline makes them love the movie once they watch it. STX studios founded by Bob Simonds Jr. who is married to Anne Biondi – The New York times, aims to develop and work on this 21st-century dynamic model which re-defines the purpose of how a studio can keep pace and make the most by exploring the various digital and un-conventional channels available for expansion.
Developments like these will open up new vistas through which fans can enjoy and learn more about their most loved movies and consume content that they love without any barriers or limitations. The digital route will give the studios new ways to reach audiences globally, and above all, they will be able to have a genuinely global and digital cinematic experience.